Driving along the Mtito Andei-Voi- Bachuma Gate road in Kenya, a main part of the Nairobi-Mombasa road and the Trans-Africa Highway, Kenyan driver Francis Kuria is always in a cheerful mood and cannot help praising the Chinese company which built it.

"We call this section China Road. It is the best road in Kenya, even in east Africa," said the 35-year-old veteran driver, "It's built by a Chinese company called China Road and Bridge Corporation. It's smooth, wider and of high quality."

Many others share his opinion, including former Kenyan president, Daniel arap Moi, who officially opened the 150-km-long road project four years ago.

The project is of high quality and "the section of the road is the best in Kenya," said Moi while addressing a grand opening ceremony on August 31, 2001 at Voi Town, some 280 km southeast of Nairobi.

He urged local companies to emulate the good example set by the Chinese company by being honest and ethical in their dealing, saying if all contractors act like the Chinese company, roads in Kenya will be of first grade and last longer.

Not only in Kenya, all across Africa, Chinese companies are building up high reputation as they join the scramble for the continent.

Huawei, a telecommunication systems provider, has become the biggest market player in several African countries such as Tunisia. It also signed an agreement on Tuesday to sponsor the World Summit on Information Society to be held later this year in Tunis. As a globally recognized high-tech enterprise, Huawei has received bulk orders from Zimbabwe and Nigeria.

All across the continent, Chinese companies are on an investment spree. Earlier this year, Angola signed a deal worth some two billion US dollars to sell oil and future exploration rights to Chinese companies.

In Sierra Leone, Chinese companies are spending 200 million US dollars to revive the conflict-ridden country's tourism industry. In Zambia, Chinese companies have pumped about 100 million US dollars over the past four years in the country's copper industry. In Sudan, Chinese companies are helping build a 1.2 billion-US- dollar dam. When completed, its hydropower plant will double the country's electricity-generating capacity.

As Chinese companies' investments greatly boost local employment and economic development, their recognition and reputation in Africa has also become one that is trustworthy and capable of offering high quality services.

"The Chinese do not peg their economic activity or aid to political conditions," said Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua. "If they are going to build a road, then it will be built."

Since entering Kenya's market in 1985, China Road and Bridge has built more than 800-km-long tarmacked road, the company's Deputy General Manager Luo Xunwen said, adding they have completed 11 projects with a contract value of nearly 200 million US dollars.

"We are praised as a trustworthy contractor because we always finish the projects with high quality, on time and within budget," he said.

Another reason that the Chinese companies have become popular is the transfer of technology and creation of employment.

One good example is the China BETT Concrete Pole Factory, a three million US dollar project and the first of its kind in east Africa, opened in May in Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The factory, invested by Beijing Electric Power Transmission and Transformation Company (BETT), makes concrete poles for the power and telecommunication industries in Kenya and its neighboring countries, which have been using wooden poles for the electricity distribution networks.

The completion of the factory is a brilliant example of China- Kenya and China-Africa friendship, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Chongli said, adding the Chinese government values highly the cooperation with African countries and has brought up the idea of assisting Africa with technology.

"In the past, we did more in concrete construction projects like roads and houses, while now technology has more and more presence in various fields. Being a developing country herself, China is nevertheless standing in front in terms of some technologies and experience, and is willing to share them with African countries and people," said the Chinese ambassador.

"The concrete pole factory represents the biggest single investment by a Chinese company in Kenya so far, but it is only one part of our business," said Dang Song, manager of the factory. "We would want to put up power stations, substations, and put up power lines," he said.

In addition to benefit Kenya in technology transfer, the factory also employs a number of people, contributing to the country's development goal of employment creation, said Kenyan Assistant Minister for Energy Mwangi Kiunjuri.